Fulfillment is the bridge connecting you to your audience. It is the component drawing the line between satisfied and unsatisfied customers. And it is fundamental to your prosperity. So if you outsource your fulfillment operations, finding the right fulfillment center is imperative. 

Fulfillment Technology

Question: Are you tired of paper-based procedures when it comes to your fulfillment? 

Answer: Trick question; if you answered “yes” to this, it’s time for an upgrade. 

In an era when everything is at our fingertips, letting owners and managers run their business from anywhere, you- as a client- should expect a degree of technological rationalization. This rationalization should include the ability to integrate with your eCommerce store, for example. This allows your clients to seamlessly purchase and order from you without missing a beat. Otherwise, you are compromising operational efficiency. 

This ease-of-use goes beyond personal convenience; it becomes a matter of competition. If your contemporaries channel technology-savvy fulfillment companies and yours is stuck in the Dark Ages, clients take notice. That money-saving convenience trickles down and you lose that competitive edge. 

So if your fulfillment provider hasn’t invested in infrastructure upgrades to make your service as seamless as possible, you have to ask if you- as a customer- are you really their priority? This is, after all, the Digital Age.

Delivery Partnerships

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, as the adage goes. And if your fulfillment provider uses a subpar shipping service, your chain is weak. Beyond providing express courier shipping, shipping providers seamlessly offer services at the best available rates. 

When it comes to customer checkout, take a long look at shipping costs and the consequential cart abandonment. The psychology behind this cart abandonment stems from sticker shock.  When a potential customer sees the price of your product, that’s the actual figure they decided to spend at that point. 

The last thing you or your customers want to spend too much on is shipping. When it’s time to checkout, the sales tax is already annoying. But piling on the shipping costs is the main culprit behind abandoned carts. 

That’s why the best third party shipping services find the discount shipping options for you. Providing cheap shipping options, third party shipping providers compare shipping rates available in their network. This way you and your customers are only charged the fairest price. 

Communication & Customer Service

Just like any component to your operations, communication is the foundation to function. So if your fulfillment center isn’t fulfilling their part when it comes to communication and customer service, it’s time for a new one. 

Prepare yourself with a fulfillment service who is there for you when a customer takes issue with an order. Make sure your fulfillment provider values a foundation of customer care, accessible by phone or email whenever you need answers.

ShipTime prides itself on its Heroic Support™ and Best-In-Class Customer Care, acting as your advocate. The ShipTime search engine aggregates data to find you the best shipping rates available. Working with the most accredited shipping providers, they also help you take the hassle out of your shipment operations with customer-centric services. 

Finding you the best possible shipping rates, ShipTime provides all relevant shipping information on one screen. The ShipTime dashboard speeds your shipping quote with predefined box sizes. 

The ShipTime dashboard solution also provides predefined incentive rewards and the “My Pickups” functionality, allowing you to see scheduled pickups and times. They cover all your bases when it comes to efficient tracking and delivery.  

Learn more here.